


He Is Good.

by kotabear24



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Military, F/M, M/M, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-20
Updated: 2013-02-20
Packaged: 2017-11-29 22:03:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/691985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kotabear24/pseuds/kotabear24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Inspired by Carrie Underwood's song "Mama's Song" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ4vcKzzGUY )<br/>Harry, an editor, falls in love with Louis, an airman, and writes home about him; Harry and Louis get engaged and Harry writes to his mum about when they get married; Harry and Louis get a letter from their daughter, explaining she'd met a man.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Is Good.

_Mum,  
You taught me to do the right things, so now, it’s time to let me go and fly. You’ve given me all the important things I need to make it through the day-to-day. I know you’ve raised me up and want only all good things for me…and I think I’ve found it._

Harry put down the pen when he felt Louis’ arms around his shoulders, rocking playfully back and forth. Harry closed his eyes and covered Louis’ hands with his own, smiling at the love he felt radiating from Louis’ warmth and kisses being rained down on his neck.

“Mmm, you’re home early,” he said, smiling. 

“Yep,” Louis said cheerfully. “Some kind of leak in the pipes in our hangar, so they let everyone come home while they fixed it.” Louis kissed Harry’s cheek before he leaned over more to see past Harry’s curly hair. “How was your day?” he asked, smiling.

Harry grinned back and tilted his head, puckering his lips for a kiss. After Louis gave it, he said, “It was good. Worked through that Payne piece, at least,” he said ruefully, shaking his head. “The man’s a brilliant writer, but honestly, his grammar is _terrible_.”

“Hmm, that’s why publishers use smarty-pants editors like you,” Louis quipped back fondly, wrinkling his nose. He caught side of the paper and squeezed Harry a bit tighter, nodding at it and asking, “Whatcha got, there?”

Harry’s hands shot out to cover the writing, blushing as he playfully glared up at Louis. “Nothing,” he lied through his smile. “You’re not allowed to see it,” he finally said. 

“D’you know what I think?” Louis asked, moving around the side of Harry’s chair to sit in his lap.

“What’s that?” Harry answered, wrapping his arms around Louis’ body, pulling him even closer. 

“I think you’re writing home about me,” Louis said smugly. “I think I am literally _something to write home about_ , and you’re doing that.”

Harry blushed and bit his lip to keep from smiling (he failed). “No,” he insisted. “It’s – I’m writing fanmail,” he said, coming up with the answer from the top of his head. 

“Oh,” Louis said, drawing the word out knowingly. “Right,” he added, giving a dramatic wink. “ _Fan_ mail. Of course.”

“It is!” Harry insisted, flipping the paper over when Louis tried to look at it. “It’s – to, erm, Zayn Malik. You know, that R&B singer I’m gonna leave you for.”

Louis laughed and replied, “Sure. You’ll leave me for Zayn Malik when I decide to give up my work and life here to become Niall Horan’s official groupie. I’m pretty fond of folksy music.”

Harry pouted and Louis laughed, pulling himself up closer to kiss Harry’s lips softly. “You know I’d never leave you for Niall Horan,” he said sweetly. “I love you too much.”

Harry hummed into the kiss and then replied, “And I’d never leave you for Zayn Malik. He’s straight.”

“Ugh!” Louis cried, hitting a laughing Harry’s arm.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” Harry groaned through his laughter. 

Louis smiled and then sighed, glancing back at the paper. “So this is another one of those things I’m not allowed to see yet?” He was used to it – Harry was very private and shy about his writing and would only clam up if Louis pressed him. If Harry wanted to show it, Louis knew he would bring his papers to bed and steal Louis’ book and straddle his thighs, bite his lip as he slowly pushed the work into Louis’ hands. (It was slightly uncomfortable for both Harry _and_ Louis – because Harry had to wait, sure, but he also stared at Louis’ face while Louis read it, watching his every facial expression like a hawk. It was almost always amazing, but the process was awkward, anyway.)

Harry nodded, sucking on his bottom lip bashfully, until Louis pulled Harry’s lip out from under his teeth with his thumb, swiping over it before leaning in to kiss him again. 

“Alright,” he said easily. “Then I’m gonna go shower and watch the game. Join me when you’re done?” He asked, and Harry nodded again, leaning down a last time to kiss him before Louis hopped up, singing quietly to himself as he walked to the toilet. 

Harry watched him go, smiling at the little bum-wiggle he did, and then sighed, looking down at his paper and flipping it back over again, picking up his pen.

_His name is Louis, and he is…so good, Mum. He treats me the way you always said I should be treated – the way Robin treats you. He keeps all his promises – even the little ones, and even the big ones – and I don’t think he’s ever gonna leave me. Just…don’t worry about me. He’s good. I love you, and I’ll bring him home to meet you soon, alright?  
-Harry. _

 

Harry sat at his desk, pen and paper in front of him, but he was focused on his fourth finger. He twisted the ring – simple, nothing all that stunning and fancy at all, because neither of them could really afford it and they didn’t want to start their marriage in a massive debt – around and around, smiling. 

_Mum,_

Harry swore under his breath and then laughed, elated, as he picked up his vibrating phone and saw Louis flashing across the screen. 

“Hey, Lou!” Harry said, holding it up to his ear, thrilled to hear from his fiancé finally. It had been weeks.

“ _Hey_ ,” Louis said fuzzily, and then nothing else. 

“…Everything alright?” Harry asked, brows furrowing. Louis hadn’t sounded upset, but…

“ _No, it’s – it’s good. Just…I mean, I miss you, is all_ ,” Louis replied. His voice got a little husky towards the end.

Harry swallowed tightly, holding the phone so tight it might break any minute. He took in a ragged breath and nodded even though he knew Louis couldn’t see it. 

“ _Still there? Have I lost you_?” Louis said through the static.

“No,” Harry said quickly, not wanting Louis to think the connection had broken. It could be another few weeks before Louis was in a safe enough place and had the time to use the phone and call again. “I’m here. You haven’t lost me.”

“ _Good_ ,” Louis said. And then, “ _I love you_.”

Harry smiled sadly. “I love you, too,” he said. “And I miss you,” he added, “just in case I didn’t say that earlier. So you know.”

Louis’ fuzzed-out laughter sounded through the static, cutting out occasionally. “ _I know you miss me, babe_ ,” he said. They were both quiet for a while until Louis volunteered, “I got the care package you sent.”

“Yeah?” Harry said, smiling. “Which one? I sent one for New Years’ and for Valentine’s Day; did you get both of them yet?”

“ _Oh, no, I only got the New Years’ one_ ,” Louis said. “ _Other one will probably be in soon. Thanks. It means a lot. …And all the other guys are jealous of me_.”

Harry laughed, cradling the phone in his hand. “I just don’t want you to be cold,” he said, “or hungry. Or horny,” he added on, smiling devilishly as he thought of the porn magazines and photos of himself he’d sent. “Make sure those ones of me are only for you,” he warned. “I know you weren’t the only one last time; that was _humiliating_ ,” he said, trying to scowl – but it was hard because he heard Louis’ full-bellied laugh. 

“ _That wasn’t my fault_!” He protested. “ _It was_ –” A loud sound interrupted him, and then sounds of hype and commotion transferred through the line. Harry’s heart rate picked up, but Louis stayed calm as ever when he picked up the phone again. “ _Babe, I have to go_ ,” he said, pausing briefly. “ _I’ll call you as soon as I can_.”

“Is everything okay?” Harry asked, a little worried at the sounds filtering through the line.

“ _Everything’s alright, of course it is. I think one of our engine’s just blew. But I have to go; I’m on call for maintenance. I love you_.”

“I love you, too,” Harry said, pressing the phone close to his face. “I love you so much.”

“ _Stay safe_ ,” Louis reminded Harry.

“You, too,” Harry said firmly. There was static for a moment, and then a click, and then the dial tone hit Harry’s ears like an assault. 

Harry kept the phone pressed to his ear for no real reason and let his head sink to the desk, swallowing against the onslaught of longing he felt for his fiancé. 

When he finally listened to the screaming tendons in his neck and sat up, his ring caught his eye and he smiled, setting down his phone and remembering why he was writing his mum another letter. 

_There’s no way you’ll ever lose me. Getting married to Louis will never be a goodbye to you. I’ll always be your baby, no matter where we go or what I do. And when you watch me walking down the aisle towards Louis, towards my future and my husband, I know you’re going to cry, and I hope they’ll be tears of joy and happiness for me. Because honestly…he’s such an amazing man, and every time I see him, or hear his voice, or think about him, I get more and more excited to spend the rest of my life with him. And he’s in Afghanistan right now, but he’ll be home soon, and we’ll be getting married. I just don’t want you to worry about me. He’s so good. I’ll call you soon, and a few days after he comes back, we’ll all meet somewhere in the middle, alright? I love you.  
-Harry_

 

Harry walked back towards the mailbox, flipping through the stack of envelopes. 

Phone bill. Water bill. Tuition. Electricity bill. Letter from Darce. 

Harry paused as he recognized his daughter’s girlish handwriting – thank god, Louis let Harry teach her writing when she was four instead of insisting Harry let him do it – addressed to both him and Louis. Harry smiled and walked into the house, calling out for Louis, who was just unlacing his boots in the bedroom.

“Babe, look at this,” Harry said, crawling onto the bed, plopping down next to Louis. “We got a letter from Darcy.”

Louis hummed in curiosity and let Harry open it, a photo falling out from the folded paper immediately. Harry picked it up and gasped softly, showing it to Louis.

Their baby daughter – alright, their twenty-year-old daughter – had her tanned cheek pressed against the milk chocolate cheek of a young man, her bright green eyes contrasting starkly against the startlingly light caramel ones that were watching her fondly. Darcy’s tongue was out of her mouth and the side of her nose was crinkled in a goofy face, and the man smiled at her, apparently completely forgetting the camera in favor of watching Darcy. 

Harry flipped the photo over and saw Darcy’s writing announce, _Me and Michael xoxoxoxoxoxox_. 

Harry looked over at Louis, whose eyes were wide, and smiled as he unfolded the letter. 

_Daddy and Papa,  
You guys always made sure I knew what I needed to know and could think for myself so I’d get a good education and be the best “me” I could be, and all that good stuff. I know you guys worry about me, all alone and living right outside campus, the way I do, and even though I know Daddy’s dreading the day I find someone I might love, Papa, I know you’re dying for it to hurry up and come along, and I know you both want me to wait for love to find me, instead of chasing after it like some of the idiotic sluts (sorry, sorry, I crossed it out!) girls here in uni do. Well…I did, and…it did. His name is Michael, and he’s an engineer. Well – he’s going to be an engineer. Aerospace engineer, to be exact, which is basically designing and building planes and things like that. (Apparently there’s a lot of money in it? I’m not really sure…) But he’s very nice, and he’s a nondenominational Christian, and he’s on the Dean’s List (we actually have been comparing grades all semester…I’ve been winning so far, but only by a few points). He plays football (no, Daddy – American football) and basketball, and he’s really good at them both. He calls his baby sisters every night to tell them he loves him, and sometimes he helps them with homework over the phone. He talks to his mum every day, and he always makes sure I have a way home and never lets me walk home alone at night. He didn’t open the car door on our first date so I stayed in until he got the hint, and now he does it every time (Papa, you were so right – I never thought that would actually work!), and he pulls out my chair and he tells me I’m wonderful. He listens to my dumb stories, and Papa, he even laughed at your awful giraffe joke (although he did at least ‘fess up and say it was horrible, so at least he doesn’t lie). Basically, I just wanted to tell you guys, like…I don’t think you have to worry about me, anymore. He treats me so well, like a real lady, and he’s encouraging and kind and funny and smart and just good, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s The One. I’ll make sure to bring him home soon...We get off for Thanksgiving break (ahh, the joys of being in an American uni!); could I bring him home then? I miss you both, and I love you very much.  
-Darcy .xxx_

Harry watched as Louis’ finger traced the indentations of where Darcy bore down on the paper, writing enthusiastically and pressing hard. 

“She’s done it,” Louis said dumbly. “She’s fallen in love.”

Harry set the paper down and tugged Louis to lean on him, kissing his temple, where his hair was just starting to gray. Harry picked up the photo that had been resting on his thigh, looking at it again. “He seems like he adores her,” Harry said idly. “Maybe they _are_ in love.”

Louis swallowed audibly and let Harry hold him. 

“I wasn’t ready for this,” Louis said quietly. “It means she’s really growing up. Our baby girl, our only child. She’s an adult, proper and in love and all.”

Harry chuckled and kissed Louis’ cheek this time. “But on the bright side…at least he’s good.”


End file.
